ADEA State Update

Assembly member Deborah J. Glick (D-NY) has sponsored A08660. The bill passed the full House by a vote of 136-0 on March 24. The bill provides foreign-trained dental faculty the limited privilege of licensure, but only if they are employed full-time in an academic setting. According to the legislature, the justification for the bill is that a full-time faculty license would only be valid while the foreign-trained dentist is employed as a full-time faculty member by a New York State (NYS) dental school. In addition, foreign-trained faculty would be required to meet the same continuing education requirements as other dentists licensed to practice in NYS.

Under current law, foreign-trained dental faculty may teach under a limited permit but cannot practice dentistry. Licensure will allow foreign-trained dental faculty to maintain their clinical skills and treat patients in the dental clinic setting.

According to the bill sponsor, “Currently, every state that has a dental school, including Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, grant foreign-trained dental faculty the full privilege of licensure while employed within the academic setting. The fact that NYS does not grant full licensure is putting NYS at a disadvantage in recruiting some of the most highly trained and well-qualified dental faculty.”

A companion bill, S07183 has also been filed. Both bills have been referred to the Senate Higher Education Committee for further consideration.

The New York University College of Dentistry released a memo in support of the bill.